SCOUTS BSA IS HERE!
It's a historic day! Scouts BSA troops are forming across the nation and girls are joining!

What is Scouts BSA?
Scouts BSA is a year-round program for youth in fifth grade through high school that provides fun, adventure, learning, challenge, and responsibility
to help them become the best version of themselves. For the first time in its 100+ year history, the iconic program of the Boy Scouts of America is
open to young women as well as young men, all of whom will have the chance to earn Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.

SCOUT ME IN!
In Scouts BSA, young men and women, alike, can go places, test themselves, and have one-of-a-kind adventures that just can’t be found anywhere else.
For more information or to find a Scouts BSA troop near you to join, visit ScoutsBSA.org.

SPREAD THE WORD
Are you joining Scouts BSA? Do you have a troop? Share your story on your social channels and add the hashtag #ScoutMeIn! Invite your friends
and neighbors to be a part of the inaugural Scouts BSA year and let them know how they can learn more or join today!

DIRECT CONTACT LEADER TRAINING UPDATED - April 3, 2018

Effective April 30, 2018, Hazardous Weather Training is now required for all new direct contact leaders to be
considered “A Trained Direct Contact Leader.” The training is available via the BSA Learn Center. You can access the Learn Center via
your MyScouting account, and then adding the updated Hazardous Weather Training course (SCO_800) to your Training Plan, so that you
have the most current content. For current registered leaders, you will be grandfathered until your Hazardous Weather Training expires, which
is every two (2) years. If you haven’t taken Hazardous Weather Training within the past 2 years, it is now expired.

The BSA has announced bold, wide-ranging updates to its Youth Protection program as part of an ongoing effort to protect
young people from child abuse. This starts with an enhanced online Youth Protection training course all volunteers and professionals must
complete. The Boy Scouts of America’s updated youth protection training doesn’t just talk about the dangers of child predators – it shows how
they work to gain access to their victims. In early February, the BSA introduced newly updated youth protection training that is required for
all volunteers before October 1, 2018. Even if you took the previous version of Youth Protection training prior to the February
rollout it will need to be taken it again. You must log into My.Scouting.org and complete
the updated Youth Protection course. You have until October 1, 2018, to do so.

The updated mandatory training, which takes a little over an hour to complete and includes three modules that discuss the known causes of abuse,
and how to prevent, recognize, and respond to it as well as a test. The training includes cutting-edge research from the top experts and
survivors in the field of child abuse and maltreatment to identify the contributing factors and threats across the spectrum of child abuse,
including: bullying, neglect, exposure to violence, physical and emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse.

According to Michael Johnson, the BSA’s director of youth protection, “There is no substitute for hearing directly from experts who have
spent their careers studying child predators and abusers, or the survivors of these forms abuse sharing their experiences. This is life-changing
information. They shine a new light on the challenges we all face in protecting kids and how parents and volunteers can put barriers in place to
keep them away. In developing this training, we discussed whether or not to include survivor videos. It was the right decision. Their testimony
is powerful and highlights how predators work and the tragic impact abuse can have like nothing else. For these survivors, their hope is that we
listen and act.”

In addition to updated training, the BSA recently announced new policies to ensure compliance with mandatory training requirements, including:

As of January 1, 2018, no new leader can be registered without first completing youth protection
training.

As of January 1, 2018, no council, regional, or national leader will be allowed to renew their
registration if they are not current on their Youth Protection Training.

As of September 1, 2017, no unit may re-charter without all leaders being current on their Youth
Protection Training. Registrars no longer have the ability to approve charters without full compliance.

Effective June 1, 2018, adults accompanying a Scouting unit who are present at the activity for 72
total hours or more must be registered as a leader, including completion of a criminal background check and Youth Protection
Training. The 72 hours need not be consecutive.

The BSA is serious about fighting child abuse, and you’re an important part of that fight. Altogether, it’s a bold new
approach that will serve as just one part of the BSA’s ongoing effort to enroll the entire community in the fight against child abuse both in
and out of Scouting. Once completed, volunteers must retake the training every year so that it does not expire during the current charter year
(see BRMC YPT Policy 12/29/2015). Effective 5/11/2018, after completing the 4 modules of the Youth Protection Training course on the BSA Learn
Center, the system will automatically email a PDF attachment of the Youth Protection Certificate to the email associated to your myscouting
account!

The BSA Expands Programs to Welcome Girls from Cub Scouts to Highest Rank of Eagle Scout - October 11, 2017

The Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its iconic Cub Scout program and
to deliver a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. The historic decision
comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls, the organization evaluated the results of numerous research efforts, gaining
input from current members and leaders, as well as parents and girls who’ve never been involved in Scouting – to understand how to offer families
an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children.

Starting in 2018, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs may choose to establish a new girl pack,
establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all
girls. Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts program, the organization will also deliver a program for older girls, which will be
announced in 2018 and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank. This unique approach allows the
organization to maintain the integrity of the single gender model while also meeting the needs of today’s families.

This decision expands the programs that the Boy Scouts of America offers for both boys and girls. Although known for its iconic programs for
boys, the BSA has offered co-ed programs since 1971 through Exploring and the Venturing program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018.
The STEM Scout pilot program is also available for both boys and girls.

For more information about this expanded opportunity for girls and their families, please visit the
BSA Blog page.

A new myScouting Mobile App is available now for both iPhone (iOS 9.0 or greater) and Android (4.4 or greater) devices.
The new app features include:

Access to training resources and take courses including Youth Protection Training*

Track training completions

Download or send by email completed training certificates

Communicate with members within your organization level and below (for Key 3s and those having that access)

Manage your profile

Post and manage announcements and calendar events for your organization

Access several Commissioner Tools

More features and updates will be added in future releases. Search for myscouting in the App Store or Google Play and
download it today. For more information, go to My.Scouting.org

BSA YOUTH REGISTRATION FEE INCREASE - August 31, 2017

Just announced at Top Hands at the end of August, BSA will increase registration fees by $9 (to $33 per year) effective
December 1, 2017. Please get this information to your units ASAP as it most likely affects many units as they enter their prime membership
recruiting season when annual dues/fees are often collected.

This fee increase comes 47 months after the last fee increase, but I personally wish to apologize for what some may find to be a very short
fused notification. While it may not make the ‘pill’ any easier to swallow, I do want to let you know that after considerable personal
communications on this topic I have been assured that this fee increase and the timing was unavoidable.

From the FAQs included in Thursday’s Scout Executive Council Packet Special Edition communication this fee change will affect Cub Scout packs,
Boy Scout troops, Venturing crews, Sea Scout ships, and Exploring posts/clubs. However, it will NOT apply to LDS-sponsored units, nor to those
units with council-paid memberships.

If you have additional questions, please contact your Scout Executive.

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ADULT APPLICATIONS - August 31, 2017

Also announced in Thursday’s Scout Executive Council Packet Special Edition communication, effective September 1, 2017,
Youth Protection Training will be required for all adult leaders at the time of registration. Paper applications from new leaders must be
accompanied by a Youth Protection Training completion certificate, which must be filed with the application.

Because completion of YPT is now required for all leaders at the time of registration, unit leaders must obtain copies of the completion
certificates from the leaders who register online before approving their application.

With the upcoming renewal cycle, the Internet Rechartering system will be updated so that units cannot submit the registration renewal of any
adult who does not have current YPT as of the effective date of the renewal. Completion of YPT as part of the online registration system will be
required in a future update. Additionally, council registrars will no longer be able to override the registration system to register any leader
whose Youth Protection Training is not current.

If you have additional questions, please contact your Scout Executive.

Online Registration Is Live Across Scouting Nation - August 24, 2017

Scouting families and prospective Scouting families have asked for it, and it’s here! The Boy Scouts of America is
offering online registration to meet the demand for completing the entire registration process for youth members and adult leaders in councils
across the organization.

Since fall 2016, online registration has been rolling out to councils across the country, and we’ve seen great success and adoption with this
new system. This is a giant leap forward in allowing prospective members and leaders to register in a way that’s convenient for them. Online
registration creates a more efficient and user-friendly registration experience for units, districts, and councils, and we’re excited to have
all councils completely on-boarded.

For more information about Online Registration please visit
http://www.scouting.org/onlineregistration.aspx. Have questions about online registration in your councils? Please contact the Member Care
Contact Center at myscouting@scouting.org or 972-580-2489.

YPT NOW ON MOBILE! - March 13, 2017

We're excited to announce that the Youth Protection (Y01) online training course is now mobile device capable! Volunteers
can access YPT at my.scouting.org and complete the training course right on their tablet!

IMPORTANT: The training certificate is not automatically produced upon completion of the training course. Volunteers will need to
return to the My Training page to print their certificate. Improvements and additional enhancements are being made to prompt volunteers you to
return to print their certificate.

Scout units and councils have been using some form of tour-planning document—a local or national tour permit, or a tour
plan—since the 1960s. After April 1, 2017, this process will no longer be necessary.

As a policy of Pack 141, our Pack Committee will still require a BSA Tour And Plan Permit be submitted to the committee for all overnight
outings; or trips of 500 miles or more; or trips outside of council borders; or when conducting any of the following activities outside of
council or district events: including but not limited to Aquatics activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.), Climbing and rappelling,
Orientation flights (process flying plan), Shooting sports, any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles,
boating, etc.); or at the Pack Committee's request. This will not apply when attending local venues, such as Christiansburg Aquatic Center(CAC),
The Frog Pond, or Crimper's Climbing Gym. Regardless, the tour and activity plan is an excellent tool that should be included in
preparation for all activities, even those not requiring it. It guides a tour leader through itineraries, travel arrangements, two-deep
leadership, supervision qualifications, and transportation.
Click Here
to use this printable version of the Tour and Activity Plan.

NATIONAL BSA TRANSGENDER POLICY STATEMENT - January 30, 2017

While we offer a number of programs that serve all youth, Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting are specifically designed to
meet the needs of boys. For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have
ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs. However,
that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely
from state to state.

Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application.
Our organization’s local councils will help find units that can provide for the best interest of the child.

The BSA is committed to identifying program options that will help us truly serve the whole family, and this is an area that we will continue
to thoughtfully evaluate to bring the benefits of Scouting to the greatest number of youth possible – all while remaining true to our core
values, outlined in the Scout Oath and Law.

Additional Questions can be made to pr@Scouting.org or 972.580.2000.

Click
Here to go to the
National BSA Site to view the Chief Scout Executive's Statement.

The Boy Scouts of America has announced modifications to the Cub Scouting adventure requirements in response to feedback
from den leaders who have run the new Cub Scouting program for a year in attempt to make the program more flexible for busy parents, den
leaders and Cubmasters. The BSA found that some leaders had difficulty fitting all of the adventures required for advancement into their
program year, resulting in some boys not advancing.

After reviewing the new program, the BSA has released some modifications to address these concerns. The changes, which take effect on
November 30, 2016, were approved by the National Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America. So what are these modifications? In order
to give leaders more control over their den program, some adventures requirements that previously were mandatory have become optional. Dens
may begin using the modified requirements immediately as they begin working on their next adventure. Click
here for the complete list
of modifications.

First of all, you won’t need to buy any new materials. The new requirements will be posted in a free
addendum available at
scouting.org/programupdates. This will
supplement the handbooks in current circulation and for sale online and in Scout shops.

While the overall feedback from den leaders about the new Cub Scout program has been very positive, some den
leaders said a number of the new adventures had requirements that were too difficult for dens to complete within the Scouting year.

The number of new Cub Scouts is up in many areas of the country, but rank advancement rates have not kept pace,
meaning the BSA’s team of volunteers and staff advisers wanted to react quickly to eliminate what might have become a roadblock for some
dens.

A national volunteer task force developed a solution: Make more of the adventure requirements optional, giving
dens more flexibility to match their unique needs.

The modifications are designed to ensure that adventure requirements are achievable by today’s Cub Scout dens
within a program year. This means they are achievable by all Cub Scouts, regardless of background or socioeconomic status.

Most of the modifications involve the number of requirements that must be completed, reducing the mandate to a
number achievable within the limited time available to many dens. This is done while retaining the rich program options that allow
leaders to build strong programs adapted to their needs.

The changes increase den-level customization. Units that can handle more content, perhaps because they meet
more often or for longer periods, can — and should! — keep the optional requirements part of their program. On the other hand, those
that have struggled to finish the requirements will welcome these changes as a way to meet their needs.

With the modifications, dens should be able to complete one adventure in approximately two den meetings.

The transition should be seamless, with leaders able to use revised requirements as the den begins any new
adventure.